Trump Tells South Carolina Voters to Pretend He's on the Ballot Ahead of Graham-Norman Runoff

President Trump flew to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday night to campaign for Sen. Darline Graham, and his central pitch wasn't really about her. It was about him.

"What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot," Trump told the crowd, according to CBS News. "Just come and vote. Just say that I'm on the ballot one more time."

Trump made the same appeal in nearly identical language across the rally, repeated by the Associated Press (carried by Boston Herald, KCRA and Newsday), NBC News and the Daily Mail. His reasoning: Republican turnout drops when he's not personally on a ballot. "The problem that we have is, they say that Trump does great when he's on the ballot, but when he's not on the ballot, his people don't come and they don't vote for senators, congressmen, and other Republicans," Trump said, per NBC News.

The race itself

Graham, appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster on July 14 to fill the seat of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, is fighting to hold the job in her own right. She took 32.7% of the vote in the August 11 primary, according to the New York Post, with Rep. Ralph Norman close behind at 24.6%. Neither cleared 50%, forcing Tuesday's runoff.

Norman, a five-term congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus, has continued to voice support for Trump's agenda even while running against Trump's chosen candidate, NBC News reported. He's made Graham's inexperience the core of his campaign.

That line of attack got new ammunition after a debate last week. Asked by moderator Greta Van Susteren whether Taiwan and the South China Sea represent national security issues for the United States, Graham said, "I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not that informed on national security," per CBS News. The Daily Mail reported Norman seized on the moment on social media, writing that South Carolina "deserves a candidate who understands foreign policy."

Trump defended her anyway. "All she was is being honest," he told reporters before boarding Air Force One, according to CBS News. "She's very smart, and she was being honest." At the rally, he drew a contrast between the siblings: "Her brother was very much about the world. He focused very much on that. That's good. That's fine. But she's more about affordability."

Graham addressed the criticism head-on in her own remarks. "Now the critics say I shouldn't run for the Senate. They say I'm not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged," she said, according to CBS News. She noted Trump himself had never held elected office before becoming president. KCRA reported she also told the crowd she'd bring "the South Carolina conservative values I learned in the back of that liquor store" to Washington.

Why Trump showed up at all

The PBS/AP report framed the trip as notable simply because Trump hasn't done as much campaign-trail work this midterm cycle compared to past ones, calling it "a signal of the importance Trump is placing on a win for his pick." Trump has been personally invested in Graham's candidacy from the start. He pushed "RUN DARLINE, RUN" on social media and issued his "Complete and Total Endorsement" before she'd even announced, per PBS.

There's also a personal dimension. Trump eulogized Lindsey Graham at Washington National Cathedral last month and called the senator a close friend and golfing partner. Darline Graham thanked him at the rally for "the beautiful eulogy you gave at Lindsey's service," saying, according to the New York Post, "You were one of his closest friends... and you will forever be part of the Graham family."

Not every Trump supporter in the room is on board. NBC News quoted Myrtle Beach voter Daniel Musick, who called Trump "the best president we've ever had" but said: "I'm going to vote for Ralph Norman, unfortunately for Graham." That's a real split: devotion to Trump personally doesn't automatically transfer to his endorsed candidate, even among his own base standing in the summer heat to see him.

Trump used the rest of his hour-plus speech to hit familiar notes. He recited the poem "The Snake" as an immigration parable, warned that Democrats would move to impeach him if they retake Congress, and touted his tax policies on tips, Social Security and overtime. Newsday also reported he opened the rally in a good mood over a Supreme Court decision that day allowing construction to continue on his $400 million White House ballroom project, which remains under legal challenge.

South Carolina Republicans decide Tuesday. Whoever wins faces Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in November in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat statewide in decades. The bigger question the rally didn't answer: whether Trump's personal brand can actually move votes for a candidate whose own running mates on stage — and even some in his own crowd — aren't fully convinced she's ready for the job.